Frankfort, KY: Lieutenant Governor Steve Pence, who also serves as the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary, announced today that three Kentucky State Police Forensic Laboratories have been accredited by the American Society of Crime Lab Directors (ASCLD).

“Accreditation is a confirmation of a laboratory’s competency to perform consistently, so this is a tremendous honor,” said Lieutenant Governor Pence. “I commend KSP Commissioner Mark Miller, and all of the employees of the KSP Forensic Lab system for this high achievement.”

KSP has been working toward accreditation for the last decade. Several obstacles had to be overcome, such as the huge backlog of casework, staffing levels, and the need for standardization of the work being performed. ASCLD lab accreditation is granted only after an exhaustive evaluation of the management practices, personnel qualifications, technical procedures, quality assurance program, and facilities. It is the end result of an extensive commitment of resources and preparation by the management and personnel of the entire laboratory system.

Inspectors evaluated each laboratory in 145 criteria, with 78 of those criteria considered “essential,” 47 criteria considered “important,” and the remaining 20 were considered “desirable.” Each of the KSP labs scored 100% in the essential categories and at least 95% in the remaining categories.

KSP Commissioner Mark Miller said the work of the labs continues to be impressive. "I commend the men and women of the Forensic Laboratories for their dedicated work in pursuit of accreditation while simultaneously reducing voluminous back logs and maintaining the integrity of the examination process," remarked Miller.

The Central Lab was accredited in the forensic disciplines of: controlled substances, toxicology, trace evidence, biology, and firearms/toolmarks. The Jefferson Lab was accredited in the forensic disciplines of: controlled substances, toxicology (blood alcohol only), biology (serology only), and firearms/toolmarks. The Northern Lab was accredited in the forensic disciplines of: controlled substances, toxicology (blood alcohol only), and biology (serology only). The three remaining laboratories, though not yet accredited, is required to follow the same procedures and operate in the same manner as the accredited labs.

“I am confident the KSP forensic lab system will continue to evolve as we strive to become recognized as one of the premier forensic lab systems in the nation,” concluded Lt. Governor Pence.